Printing apparatus and control method

ABSTRACT

There is provided a printing apparatus including: a printing mechanism which feeds paper from a paper feeding port and performs printing on the fed paper; and a control unit which controls the printing mechanism, in which the control unit determines whether or not printing a second job is to be performed on unprinted fed paper which is fed from the paper feeding port and is not yet printed, based on paper quality of the paper used in a first job and paper quality of the paper set in the second job following the first job when a cancellation instruction is received during printing the first job and causes the printing mechanism to perform the printing of the second job on the unprinted fed paper, in a case of determining that printing is to be performed.

The entire disclosure of Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-121994,filed Jun. 22, 2017 and Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-121995,filed Jun. 22, 2017 is expressly incorporated by reference herein. Thisapplication is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______,filed Jun. 19, 2018 (attorney docket number 16443.2731) and titled“PRINTING APPARATUS AND CONTROL METHOD,” concurrently filed herewith.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and the likehaving a job cancellation function, and particularly relates to aprinting apparatus and the like that can conveniently use unprinted fedpaper at the time of job cancellation.

2. Related Art

In the related art, in a printer that performs printing at high speed,the paper is controlled so that the paper can be fed into the machinebefore printing so as to be able to print immediately. Therefore, somesheets of paper following the paper during printing are in a state ofbeing already present between a paper feeding port and a printing unit.

Therefore, if a job cancellation is instructed during printing, blanksheets of paper that are not yet printed in the printer will remain, andthere is a concern that these sheets of paper are wasted.

In relation to such a problem, in JP-A-2005-319638, an invention isdisclosed which suppresses discharging of waste paper by performingprinting of a subsequent printing job on an unprinted paper remaining ina printer casing.

In the apparatus described in JP-A-2005-319638, only in a case where theunprinted fed paper and the subsequent printing job paper are the samein the paper size and the paper discharging direction, printing is to beperformed on the unprinted fed paper.

However, in such control, a technology is required which does not takeinto consideration the paper feeding port and the type of printed matterspecified at the time of the print request, further enhances the user'sconvenience, and can more effectively utilize paper.

SUMMARY

An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to provide a printingapparatus that can conveniently use unprinted fed paper at the time ofjob cancellation in a printing apparatus having a job cancellationfunction.

According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided a printingapparatus including: a printing mechanism which feeds paper from a paperfeeding port and performs printing on the fed paper; and a control unitwhich controls the printing mechanism, in which the control unitdetermines whether or not printing a second job is to be performed onunprinted fed paper which is fed from the paper feeding port and is notyet printed, based on paper quality of the paper used in a first job andpaper quality of the paper set in the second job following the first jobwhen a cancellation instruction is received during printing the firstjob and causes the printing mechanism to perform the printing of thesecond job on the unprinted fed paper, in a case of determining thatprinting is to be performed.

According to the configuration, it is possible to make effective use ofthe unprinted fed paper without impairing user's needs.

Further, in the printing apparatus, preferably, the control unitdetermines that the printing of the second job is to be performed on theunprinted fed paper in a case where paper quality of the unprinted fedpaper and the paper quality set in the second job coincide with eachother.

According to the configuration, it is possible to make effective use ofthe unprinted fed paper without impairing user's needs.

Further, in the printing apparatus, preferably, the control unitdetermines that the printing of the second job is to be performed on theunprinted fed paper, in a case where paper quality and a paper size ofthe unprinted fed paper and a paper quality and the paper size set inthe second job coincide with each other.

According to the configuration, it is possible to make effective use ofthe unprinted fed paper without impairing user's needs.

Further, in the printing apparatus, preferably, the control unitdetermines that the printing of the second job is to be performed on theunprinted fed paper in a case where a paper size of the unprinted fedpaper and a paper size set in the second job coincide with each otherand automatic paper quality selection to the effect that the paperquality is to be automatically selected is set in the second job.

According to the configuration, it is possible to make effective use ofunprinted fed paper without impairing user's needs.

Further, in the printing apparatus, preferably, the control unitdetermines that the printing of the second job is to be performed on theunprinted fed paper in a case where a paper size of the unprinted fedpaper and a paper size set in the second job coincide with each otherand plain paper automatic selection to the effect that the paper qualityis to be automatically selected from paper quality of a plain paper typeis set for the second job, if paper quality of the unprinted fed paperis a plain paper type.

According to the configuration, it is possible to make effective use ofunprinted fed paper without impairing user's needs.

Further, in the printing apparatus, preferably, the control unitdetermines that the printing of the second job is to be performed on theunprinted fed paper in a case where a paper size of the unprinted fedpaper and a paper size set in the second job coincide with each otherand paper quality of the unprinted fed paper and the paper quality setin the second job are different from each other, if the paper quality ofthe unprinted fed paper is a plain paper type or recycled paper and thepaper quality set in the second job is a plain paper type or recycledpaper.

According to the configuration, it is possible to make effective use ofunprinted fed paper.

According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided aprinting apparatus including: a printing mechanism which feeds paperfrom a paper feeding port and performs printing on the fed paper; and acontrol unit which controls the printing mechanism, in which the controlunit determines whether or not a setting content of at least one of afirst job and a second job is to be changed, based on the settingcontent for the paper in the first job and the second job, whenreceiving the second job following the first job before printing thereceived first job is started and changes the setting content of atleast one of the first job and the second job, in a case of determiningthat the change is to be made.

According to the configuration, the processing at the time of the jobcancellation can be performed quickly.

Further, in the printing apparatus, preferably, the control unit changesa setting content corresponding to paper quality of the second job topredetermined paper quality set in the first job, in a case where thepredetermined paper quality is set as the setting content in the firstjob and paper quality automatic selection to the effect that paperquality of the paper is to be automatically selected as the settingcontent is set in the second job, and the control unit causes theprinting mechanism to perform printing of the second job on unprintedfed paper which is fed from the paper feeding port and is not yetprinted, if conditions other than the paper quality are satisfied, whena cancellation instruction is received during printing the first job.

According to the configuration, the processing at the time of the jobcancellation can be performed quickly and the unprinted fed paper can beused effectively.

Further, in the printing apparatus, preferably, the control unit changesa setting content corresponding to paper quality of the second job topaper quality set in the first job, in a case where any one of paperquality of a plain paper type as the setting content is set in the firstjob and plain paper automatic selection to the effect that the paperquality of the paper as the setting content is to be automaticallyselected from the paper quality of the plain paper type is set in thesecond job, and the control unit causes the printing mechanism toperform printing of the second job on unprinted fed paper which is fedfrom the paper feeding port and is not yet printed, if conditions otherthan the paper quality are satisfied, when receiving a cancellationinstruction during printing the first job.

According to the configuration, the processing at the time of the jobcancellation can be performed quickly and the unprinted fed paper can beused effectively.

According to a still another aspect of the invention, there is provideda method for controlling a printing apparatus which feeds paper from apaper feeding port and performs printing on the fed paper, including:determining whether or not printing a second job print is to beperformed on unprinted fed paper which is fed from the paper feedingport and is paper not yet printed, based on paper quality of the paperused in the first job and paper quality of the paper set in the secondjob following the first job when a cancellation instruction is receivedduring printing the first job; and performing the printing of the secondjob on the unprinted fed paper in a case of determining that theprinting is to be performed.

According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided amethod for controlling a printing apparatus which feeds paper from apaper feeding port and performs printing on the fed paper, including:determining whether or not a setting content of at least one of a firstjob and a second job is to be changed, based on the setting content forthe paper in the first job and the second job, when receiving the secondjob following the first job before printing the received first job isstarted; and changing the setting content of at least one of the firstjob and the second job, in a case of determining that the change is tobe made.

Further objects and features of the invention will be apparent from theembodiments of the invention described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, wherein like numbers reference like elements.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram according to an embodimentof a printing apparatus to which the invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of unprinted fed paperprocessing.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of setting changeprocessing.

DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the invention will be described withreference to the drawings. However, it is to be understood that such anembodiment does not limit the technical scope of the invention. In thedrawings, the same or similar constituent elements are denoted by thesame reference numerals or reference symbols.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram relating to an embodiment ofa printing apparatus to which the invention is applied. A printer 2illustrated in FIG. 1 is a printing apparatus to which the invention isapplied, and the printer 2 determines whether or not the printerperforms the printing of the subsequent job on the unprinted fed paper,based on the paper feeding port 221 set in the subsequent printing job(hereinafter referred to as subsequent job) (second job), in a casewhere there is a paper (hereinafter referred to as “unprinted fedpaper”) that is already fed from a paper feeding port 221 and is not yetprinted, when the printer 2 receives an instruction of a jobcancellation. Accordingly, effective utilization of unprinted fed paperis realized with high user convenience.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, printer 2 is an ink jet printer that performsprinting on paper in response to a print request from a host device,such as host computer 1, or to an operation on printer 2, for example.The printer 2 has a function of feeding a plurality of sheets of paperfollowing the printing paper to the transporting path 222 in advance andprinting at a high speed. In addition, although not illustrated, theprinter 2 has a function of receiving data from an integrated facsimilereceiving apparatus or a separate facsimile receiving apparatus andprinting the contents of the facsimile.

The host computer 1 is connected to the printer 2 in a communicativemanner and makes a print request to the printer 2 based on the useroperation or the like. The host computer 1 is configured by a personalcomputer or the like and includes an application which generatesgraphics or characters to be printed and a printer driver for printer 2(both not illustrated).

The print request described above is made by sending print datagenerated by the printer driver from host computer 1 to printer 2. Here,one print request is called a printing job, and various print conditionsfor each printing job are set. In the setting items, items of “paperfeeding port”, “paper size”, and “paper discharging direction”, and“paper quality” are included, regarding the paper to be used.

“Paper feeding port” is an item for specifying that paper is fed fromwhich paper feeding port 221 of the plurality of paper feeding ports 221provided in the printer 2, “paper size” is an item for specifying a sizeof the paper to be used for printing (A4, A3, and the like), and “paperdischarging direction” is an item for specifying the orientation of thepaper when discharging the printed paper (vertical or horizontal, inthis case the same as paper feeding direction), and “paper quality” isan item for specifying the type (plain paper, recycled paper, or thelike) depending on the material of the paper.

The contents of these setting items are set (specified) by the useroperation for the interface screen provided by the printer driver, andthe setting content are included in the print data.

“Paper feeding port” can be set to “paper feeding port automaticoperation” and in a case where “paper feeding port” is set as such, onthe printer 2 side, a suitable paper feeding port 221 is selected basedon other setting contents. In addition, for “paper size” and “paperdischarging direction”, “paper size” and “paper discharging direction”can be unspecified, in a case where “paper size” and “paper dischargingdirection” is set as such, on the printer 2 side, suitable “paper size”and “paper discharging direction” are appropriately selected. Inaddition, for the “paper quality”, the paper quality be set to “paperquality automatic operation” or “plain paper type automatic operation”,in a case where the “paper quality” is set as such, on the printer 2side, a suitable paper quality is selected. In the plain paper, thereare a plurality of kinds depending on color and paper thickness, each ofthem is one “paper quality”. Therefore, plain paper has a plurality ofpaper quality, which are collectively referred to as “plain paper type”.In a case where “plain paper type automatic operation” is set, theprinter 2 selects an appropriate paper quality from “plain paper type”.

Hereinafter, specific examples of the plain paper type paper will bedescribed.

Plain type paper includes plain type 1, plain type 2, letterhead,colored paper, printed paper, cardboard 1, cardboard 2, cardboard 3, andcardboard 4, for example. The recycled paper may be included in a plainpaper type paper. The thickness of plain type 2 is larger than thethickness of plain type 1. For cardboards 1 to 4, the thicknesses of thecardboards increase in the order of the cardboard 4, the cardboard 3,the cardboard 2, and the cardboard 1. The user can preset the paper tobe included in the plain paper type to the printer 2.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the printer 2 includes a control unit 21 and aprinting mechanism 22. The control unit 21 is a controller that controlseach portion of the printer 2 and includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, NVRAM,an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or the like as ahardware configuration.

When the control unit 21 receives a print request, such as whenreceiving print data from host computer 1, the control unit 21 controlsthe printing mechanism 22 and prints the image to be printed on paperunder the printing conditions corresponding to the contents set in theprinting job. Regarding paper to be used, the control unit 21 selects(determines) the appropriate paper feeding port 221, and then the paperis fed to perform printing, based on the setting content of “paperfeeding port”, “paper size”, “paper discharging direction”, and “paperquality” described above.

In addition, as described above, in the printer 2, since the paper isfed before printing, when the printing job is canceled in the middle ofprinting, although unprinted fed paper is left in the transporting path222 of the printer 2 (in machine, in casing), the control unit 21determines whether or not to print the subsequent job on the unprintedfed paper based on the setting content of the subsequent job after theprint data is received, and then, performs printing processing or paperdischarging processing based on the determination. Processing related tothese unprinted fed paper (Hereinafter, referred to as unprinted fedpaper processing) is executed by a program for instructing theprocessing, a CPU that operates in accordance with the program, and aROM, a RAM, a NVRAM, or the like that stores programs operating incooperation with each other.

The printing mechanism 22 performs printing on paper or the like (printmedium) in accordance with an instruction from the control unit 21. Theprinting mechanism 22 includes a plurality of paper feeding ports 221, atransporting path 222, a transporting unit 223, a printing unit 224, andthe like, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

In the present embodiment, three paper feeding ports 221 (221A, 221B,and 221C) are provided and three paper feed cassettes 3 (3A, 3B, and 3C)for accommodating various kinds of paper are inserted thereinto. Thepaper is fed from one of the paper feeding ports 221 at the time ofprinting, and the fed paper is transported along the transporting path222.

The transporting unit 223 includes a transporting roller, a drivingsource, transmission gear, and the like, and transports the paper fedfrom the paper feeding port 221 to the printing position, andthereafter, the paper after the printing is transported and discharged.The unprinted fed paper is present in the transporting path 222 from thepaper feeding port 221 to the printing position.

The printing unit 224 executes printing on the paper transported to theprinting position. In the present embodiment, the printing unit 224includes a printing head having a plurality of nozzles for dischargingink, and a carriage mounting on the printing head and moving in thesub-scanning direction, or the like.

In the printer 2 according to the present embodiment having theconfiguration described above, when a print request is received, thecontrol unit 21 determines a paper feeding port 221 suitable for theprint request, feeds paper from the paper feeding port, and performsprinting, but there is a feature in the unprinted fed paper processingwhen the printing job is canceled during printing, and the followingdescribes the specific contents thereof.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating procedure of the unprinted fed paperprocessing. The control unit 21 receives an instruction of cancellationof a printing job (hereinafter, referred to as a job cancellation)during printing and at this time, the unprinted fed paper processing isstarted when the print data of the subsequent job is received. The jobcancellation is to be performed by a user operation for an operationunit (not illustrated) of the host computer 1 or the printer 2 and thesignal thereof is received by control unit 21.

The control unit 21 determines whether or not there is unprinted fedpaper (step S1 in FIG. 2). During processing a printing job beingprinted (hereinafter, referred to as current job) (first job), since thecontrol unit 21 is grasping how many sheets of paper of the current jobis already fed and how many of sheets of paper is printed, the controlunit 21 determines whether or not there is unprinted fed paper based onthe information thereof.

As a result of the determination, if the unprinted fed paper is notpresent (if not) (No in step S1 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21 ends theunprinted fed paper processing.

As a result of the above determination, if there is unprinted fed paper(if any) (Yes in step S1 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21 determineswhether or not the subsequent job is a type of a predetermined printingjob (hereinafter, referred to as a job type) (step S2 of FIG. 2). Here,the predetermined job type is a printing job that may perform theprinting to convey content regardless of the format of the paper, andthe state, for example, is a status sheet illustrating the status of theprinter 2, printing of the received facsimile, or the like. The controlunit 21 determines the determination from the header information of thesubsequent job.

As the result of the determination, in a case where the subsequent jobis not the predetermined job type (No in step S2 in FIG. 2), the controlunit 21 determines whether or not the subsequent job is printed on theunprinted fed paper, based on the setting content for “paper feedingport” of the subsequent job.

Specifically, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the settingof the “paper feeding port” of the subsequent job is “paper feeding portautomatic operation” (step S5 in FIG. 2).

As a result thereof, in a case where the setting for the “paper feedingport” of the subsequent job is not set to “paper feeding port automaticoperation” (No in step S5 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21 determineswhether or not the paper feeding port 221 set to the subsequent jobcoincides with the paper feeding port 221 of the unprinted fed paper(current job) (step S6 in FIG. 2).

As a result of the determination, if the paper feeding port 221 of thesubsequent job and the paper feeding port 221 of the unprinted fed papercoincide with each other (Yes in step S6 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21determines that the subsequent job is printed on the unprinted fedpaper, and causes the printing mechanism 22 to execute printing of thesubsequent job on the unprinted fed paper (step S18 of FIG. 2).Specifically, the unprinted fed paper located on the upstream side ofthe printing position of the transporting path 222 is sequentiallysupplied to the printing position by the transporting unit 223 and theprinting unit 224 performs printing with respect to supplied unprintedfed paper.

On the other hand, as a result of the determination, if the paperfeeding port 221 of the subsequent job does not coincide with the paperfeeding port 221 of the unprinted fed paper (No in step S6 of FIG. 2),the control unit 21 determines that the subsequent job does not yetprinted on the unprinted fed paper and causes the printing mechanism 22to discharge the unprinted fed paper with blank paper (left unprinted)(step S19 of FIG. 2). Specifically, the transporting unit 223sequentially discharges the unprinted fed paper which is positioned inthe transporting path 222 from the printer 2.

Next, in a case where the process returns to the step S5 and the settingfor the “paper feeding port” of the subsequent job is “paper feedingport automatic operation” (Yes in the step S5 of FIG. 2), the controlunit 21 determines whether or not the subsequent job is printed on theunprinted fed paper based on the setting content other than “paperfeeding port” set to be subsequent job, that is, the setting content of“paper size”, “paper discharging direction”, and “paper quality”.

Specifically, all the setting content of “paper size”, “paperdischarging direction”, and “paper quality” of subsequent job arecoincide with all the contents of unprinted paper supply (current job)(paper size, paper discharging direction, and paper quality) (Yes instep S7, Yes in step S8, Yes in step S9 in FIG. 2), the control unit 21determines that the subsequent job is printed on the unprinted fedpaper, and causes the printing mechanism 22 to print the subsequent jobwith respect to the unprinted fed paper (step S18 of FIG. 2).

In addition, even in a case where the setting content of “paper size”,“paper discharging direction”, and “paper quality” do not coincide withthe contents of unprinted fed paper (current job), in a case where thesetting content is “unspecified”, in a case where the contents can befreely selected, the control unit 21 edits the subsequent job,determines to print the subsequent job on the unprinted fed paper, andcauses the printing mechanism 22 to execute printing of a subsequent jobfor unprinted fed paper (step S18 of FIG. 2).

Specifically, in a case where the “paper size” of the subsequent jobdoes not coincide with the content of the unprinted fed paper (currentjob) (No in step S7 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21 determines whetheror not the setting content for the “paper size” of the subsequent job is“unspecified” (step S10 of FIG. 2). In a case where the setting contentis “unspecified” (Yes in step S10 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21executes the enlargement and reduction processing with respect to thesubsequent job so as to adjust to the size of the unprinted fed paper(step S11 in FIG. 2). In the enlargement and reduction processing, thecontrol unit 21 enlarges or reduces the size of the image drawn in theprinting job so as to fit the size of the unprinted fed paper. After theenlargement and reduction processing, the process proceeds to step S8.In a case where the subsequent job is a printing job for printing datareceived by a facsimile machine, the enlargement and reductionprocessing can be performed.

On the other hand, in a case where the setting content of the “papersize” is not “unspecified” (No in step S10 of FIG. 2), the control unit21 determines that the subsequent job is not to be printed on theunprinted fed paper and causes the printing mechanism 22 to dischargeunprinted fed paper as a blank sheet (step S19 of FIG. 2).

In addition, in a case where the “paper discharging direction” of thesubsequent job does not coincide with the content of the unprinted fedpaper (current job) (No in step S8 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21determines whether or not the setting content for the “paper dischargingdirection” of the subsequent job is “unspecified” (Yes in step S12 ofFIG. 2). In a case where the setting content is “unspecified” (Yes instep S12 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21 executes a rotation processingfor the subsequent job so as to adjust to the printing direction of theunprinted fed paper (step S13 of FIG. 2). In the rotation processing,the control unit 21 rotates the direction of the image drawn in theprinting job so as to fit the direction of the unprinted fed paper.After the rotation processing, the process proceeds to step S9.

On the other hand, if the setting content of the “paper dischargingdirection” is not “unspecified” (No in step S12 of FIG. 2), the controlunit 21 determines that the subsequent job is not to be printed on theunprinted fed paper, and causes the printing mechanism 22 to dischargeunprinted fed paper as a blank paper (step S19 in FIG. 2).

In addition, in a case where the “paper quality” of the subsequent jobdoes not coincide with the content of the unprinted fed paper (currentjob) (No in step S9 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21 determines whetheror not the setting content for the “paper quality” of the subsequent jobis “paper quality automatic operation” (step S14 of FIG. 2). In a casewhere the setting content is “paper quality automatic operation” (Yes instep S14 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21 adjusts the “paper quality”setting of the subsequent job to the paper quality of the unprinted fedpaper (step S17 of FIG. 2). Thereafter, the control unit 21 determinesto print the subsequent job on the unprinted fed paper, and causes theprinting mechanism 22 to execute the printing of the subsequent job forthe unprinted fed paper (step S18 of FIG. 2).

On the other hand, in a case where the setting content of the subsequentjob is not “paper quality automatic operation” (No in step S14 of FIG.2), the control unit 21 determines that whether or not the settingcontent for the “paper quality” of subsequent job is “plain paper typeautomatic operation” (Yes in step S15 of FIG. 2). In a case where thesetting content is “plain paper type automatic operation” (Yes in stepS15 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21 determines whether or not the papertype of the unprinted fed paper is the plain paper type (step S16 ofFIG. 2). If the paper type of the unprinted fed paper is the plain papertype (Yes in step S16 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21 adjusts the “paperquality” setting of the subsequent job to the paper quality of theunprinted fed paper (step S17 in FIG. 2). Thereafter, the control unit21 determines to print the subsequent job on the unprinted fed paper,and causes the printing mechanism 22 to execute the printing of thesubsequent job for the unprinted fed paper (step S18 in FIG. 2).

In step S15, in a case where the setting content is not “plain papertype automatic operation” (No in step S15 of FIG. 2) or, in step S16, ina case where the unprinted fed paper is not a plain paper type (No instep S16 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21 determines that the subsequentjob is not to be printed on the unprinted fed paper, and causes theprinting mechanism 22 to discharge the unprinted fed paper in a blankpaper (step S19 of FIG. 2).

In this case, in other words, in a case where a specific paper qualityis set for the subsequent job and the specific paper quality isdifferent from the paper quality of the unprinted fed paper, if thepaper quality of both paper are plain paper types, the control unit maydetermine that printing of the subsequent job is to be performed on theunprinted fed paper, and causes the printing mechanism 22 to executeprinting of the subsequent job on the unprinted fed paper.

In addition, in the same case, if both paper quality is plain paper typeor recycled paper, the control unit determines that the subsequent jobis to be printed on the unprinted fed paper, and may cause the printingmechanism 22 to execute printing of the subsequent job on the unprintedfed paper.

Next, in step S2, in a case where the subsequent job is a specific jobtype (Yes in step S2 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21 determines whetheror not the number of unprinted fed paper is equal to or greater than thenumber of sheets of paper of the subsequent job (step S3 of FIG. 2). Asresult of the determination, in a case where the number of unprinted fedpaper is less than the number of sheets of paper in the subsequent job(No in step S3 of FIG. 2), the process proceeds to step S5.

On the other hand, in a case where the number of unprinted fed paper isequal to or greater than the number of sheets of paper of the subsequentjob (Yes in step S3 of FIG. 2), the control unit 21 adjusts the settingcontent of “paper size”, “paper discharging direction”, and “paperquality” of the subsequent job to the unprinted fed paper (step S4 ofFIG. 2), determines that the subsequent job is printed on the unprintedfed paper, and causes the printing mechanism 22 to execute printing of asubsequent job on the unprinted fed paper (step S18 of FIG. 2). When thesetting content of the “paper size” and “paper discharging direction” ofthe subsequent job are adjusted to the unprinted fed paper, the controlunit 21 executes enlargement, reduction, and rotation of the image drawnin the subsequent job as necessary.

In a case where subsequent jobs are printing of the received facsimile,only in a case where the “alternative output” function is turned on (inoperation) on the printer 2, printing of a subsequent job may beexecuted on unprinted fed paper. In present specification, thealternative output function may be referred to as an acting printfunction.

Here, “alternative output” means that the image of the printing job ofthe facsimile machine is reduced and printed on a paper of a smallersize than the original size thereof, and enlarges the image of thefacsimile of the printing job and prints the image on paper of a sizelarger than the original size thereof.

As described above, the subsequent job is printed on the unprinted fedpaper (S18), or when the unprinted fed paper is discharged (S19), theunprinted fed paper processing ends.

Next, Processing performed when the control unit 21 receives a printingjob will be described. This processing is a processing of changingsetting content related to the paper in advance for the receivedprinting job so that the subsequent job can be immediately printed onthe unprinted fed paper when the job cancellation is generated(hereinafter, referred to as setting change processing). The settingchange processing may not be performed.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating the procedure of the setting changeprocessing. First, when the control unit 21 waits for receiving oneprinting job (No in step S21 of FIG. 3) and receives one printing job(Yes in step S21 of FIG. 3), the control unit 21 determines that whetheror not the printing of the printing job (hereinafter, referred to as“preceding job”) (first job) received immediately before the receivedprinting job (hereinafter referred to as the “receiving job”) (secondjob) is not yet started (step S22 in FIG. 3). In a case where there isno preceding job and in a case where printing is already started even ifthere is the preceding job is found (No in step S22 of FIG. 3), thecontrol unit 21 does not perform the setting change and waits forreceiving the next printing job (to S21).

In a case where there is a preceding job that is not yet printed (Yes instep S22 of FIG. 3), the control unit 21 determines whether or not thesetting change is to be performed based on the setting content for the“paper feeding port” of the receiving job and the preceding job.

Specifically, the control unit 21 determines whether or not the settingfor at least one of the “paper feeding ports” of the receiving job andthe preceding job is “paper feeding port automatic operation” (step S23of FIG. 3).

As a result, in a case where the setting for the “paper feeding port” ofthe subsequent job is not set to “paper feeding port automaticoperation” (No in step S23 of FIG. 3), the control unit 21 does notperform the setting change and waits for receiving the printing job (toS21).

In a case where the setting for the “paper feeding port” of one of theprinting jobs is “paper feeding port automatic operation” (Yes in stepS23 of FIG. 3), the control unit 21 determines whether or not thesetting change is to be performed based on the setting content otherthan “paper feeding port” which is set to the subsequent job, that is,the setting content of “paper size”, “paper discharging direction”, and“paper quality”.

Specifically, if all the setting content of “paper size”, “paperdischarging direction”, and “paper quality” between the preceding joband the receiving job are coincide with each other (Yes in step S24, Yesin step S25, Yes in S26 in FIG. 3), the control unit 21 sets the “paperfeeding port” of the preceding job and the receiving job to a specificpaper feeding port suitable for the setting content of “paper size”,“paper discharging direction”, and “paper quality” 221. In other words,the setting content of the “paper feeding port” of the preceding job andthe receiving job are adjusted to the same paper feeding port 221 (stepS34 in FIG. 3). For example, setting of both “paper feeding port” ischanged to “paper feeding port 221A.” In a case where the settingcontent of either the preceding job or the receiving job is a specificpaper feeding port 221 that is not “paper feeding port automaticoperation”, the setting content of “paper feeding port” of the otherprinting job is adjusted to the paper feeding port 221. After thesetting change, the process returns to step S21.

In addition, even in a case where the setting contents of “paper size”,“paper discharging direction”, and “paper quality” do not coincide onboth printing jobs, in a case where the setting content is “unspecified”and in a case where the contents can be freely selected, the controlunit 21 changes the setting content and determines that the settingcontent of both “paper feeding ports” with each other.

Specifically, in a case where “paper sizes” of the receiving job andpreceding job do not coincide with each other (No in step S24 of FIG.3), the control unit 21 determines whether or not the setting contentfor at least one of “paper sizes” of the received job and the precedingjob are “unspecified” (step S27 of FIG. 3). In a case where the settingcontent for at least one of the printing job is “unspecified” (Yes instep S27 of FIG. 3), the control unit 21 performs a processing ofadjusting the paper sizes of the receiving job and the preceding job toeach other (step S28 of FIG. 3). Specifically, the control unit 21adjusts the setting content of the “paper size” of the other printingjob to the paper size set in the printing job unless the setting contentof any printing job is “unspecified”. In addition, if the settingcontent is “unspecified” for both printing jobs, the control unit 21changes the setting content of the “paper size” for both printing jobsto the same specific paper size. In a case where the paper size afterthe setting change does not fit the size of the image drawn by theprinting job, the control unit 21 enlarges or reduces the size of theimage to fit the set paper size appropriately. Thereafter, theprocessing proceeds to step S25.

On the other hand, in a case where the setting content of the “papersize” is not “unspecified” for any of the printing jobs (No in step S27of FIG. 3) the control unit 21 does not change the setting, and waitsfor receiving the next printing job (to S21).

In a case where “paper discharging directions” of the receiving job andthe preceding job does not coincide with each other (No at step S25 inFIG. 3), the control unit 21 determines whether or not the settingcontent for at least one of “paper discharging direction of receivingjob and the preceding job is “unspecified” (step S29 of FIG. 3). In acase where the setting content for at least one of printing jobs is“unspecified” (Yes in step S29 of FIG. 3), the control unit 21 performsa processing of adjusting the paper discharging directions of thereceiving job and the preceding job to each other (step S30 of FIG. 3).Specifically, the control unit 21 adjusts the setting content of the“paper discharging direction” of the other printing job to the paperdischarging direction set in the printing job unless the setting contentfor both printing jobs are “unspecified”. In addition, if the settingcontent for both printing jobs are “unspecified”, the control unit 21changes the setting content of the “paper discharging direction” of bothprinting jobs to the same specific paper discharging direction. In acase where the paper discharging direction after the setting change andthe direction of the image drawn in the printing job does not fit, thecontrol unit 21 rotates the direction of the image appropriately so asto fit to the set paper discharging direction. Thereafter, theprocessing proceeds to step S26.

On the other hand, in a case where the setting content of the “paperdischarging direction” for any of the printing jobs are not“unspecified” (No in step S29 of FIG. 3), the control unit 21 does notchange the setting and waits for receiving the next printing job (toS21).

In addition, in a case where the setting content of “paper quality” ofthe preceding job and the receiving job do not coincide with each other(“No” in step S26 of FIG. 3), the control unit 21 determines whether ornot the setting content for at least one “paper quality” of thereceiving job and the preceding job is “paper quality automaticoperation” (step S31 in FIG. 3). In a case where the setting content is“paper quality automatic operation” for at least one of the printingjobs (Yes in step S31 of FIG. 3), the control unit 21 performs aprocessing of adjusting the paper quality of the receiving job thepreceding job to each other (step S33 of FIG. 3). Specifically, if thesetting content of one of the printing jobs is not “paper qualityautomatic operation”, the control unit 21 adjusts the setting content ofthe “paper quality” of the other printing job to the paper quality setto the printing job. In addition, if the setting content of bothprinting jobs are “paper quality automatic operation”, the control unit21 changes the setting content of “paper quality” of both printing jobsto the same specific paper quality.

Thereafter, the control unit 21 sets the “paper feeding port” of thepreceding job and the receiving job to a specific paper feeding port 221suitable for the setting content of “paper size”, “paper dischargingdirection”, and “paper quality”. In other words, the setting content ofthe “paper feeding port” of the preceding job and the receiving jobadjust to the same paper feeding port 221 (step S34 in FIG. 3), andafter the setting change, the processing returns to step S21.

On the other hand, in a case where the setting content of the “paperquality” is not “paper quality automatic operation” for any of theprinting jobs (No in step S31 of FIG. 3), the control unit 21 determinesthat the setting content of “paper quality” for both printing job areset to “plain paper type automatic operation”, or whether or not thesetting content of the “paper quality” for one printing job is set to“plain paper type automatic operation” and the setting content of the“paper quality” for the other printing job is set to the plain papertype of a specific paper quality (step S32 in FIG. 3).

In a case where any one of the conditions is satisfied (Yes in step S32of FIG. 3), the control unit 21 performs processing of adjusting thepaper quality of the received job and the preceding job to each other(step S33 of FIG. 3). Specifically, if the setting content of one of theprinting jobs is not “plain paper type automatic operation”, the controlunit 21 adjusts the setting content of the “paper quality” of the otherprinting job to the paper quality set in the printing job. In addition,if the setting content of both printing jobs is “plain paper typeautomatic operation”, the control unit 21 changes the setting content of“paper quality” of both printing jobs to the same paper quality of theplain paper type. Thereafter, the processing proceeds to step S34, andthe process is performed in the same manner as in the above case.

On the other hand, in a case where none of the conditions of step S32 issatisfied (No in step S32 of FIG. 3), the control unit 21 does notchange the setting content and waits for receiving the next printing job(to S21).

As illustrated above, the setting change process is to be performed whenthe printing job is received.

In a case where the printer 2 is a device that only feeds paper of thesame size in the same paper discharging direction, when job cancellationis performed, the control unit 21 may determine whether or not to printthe subsequent job on the unprinted fed paper based on the paper qualityset for the subsequent job and the paper quality of the unprinted fedpaper. In a case where it is determined that the subsequent job is to beprinted on the unprinted fed paper, the control unit 21 causes theprinting mechanism 22 to execute the printing as in the above case.

The determination based on the paper quality described above isperformed in the same manner as the processing described based on stepsS9 and S14 to S17 in FIG. 2. Further, in a case where the paper qualityset in the subsequent job and the paper quality of the unprinted fedpaper are also a plain paper type paper quality or recycled paper, thecontrol unit 21 determines that the subsequent job is to be printed onthe unprinted fed paper.

In addition, similarly, in a case where the printer 2 is a device thatonly feeds paper of the same size in the same discharging direction, thecontrol unit 21 may determine whether or not to perform setting changeprocessing for adjusting both the setting content to each other based onthe paper quality set in the preceding job and the receiving job at thetime of receiving the printing job. In this case, the determinationbased on the paper quality is performed in the same manner as theprocessing explained based on the steps S26, S31, and S32 in FIG. 3.

As described above, in the printer 2 according to the present embodimentand modification example thereof, when the job is canceled duringprinting the current job, if the print data of the subsequent job isreceived, it is determined whether or not to print a subsequent job onan unprinted fed paper based on the setting content of the “paperfeeding port” set in the subsequent job, and it is the printing is to beperformed in a case of determining that the printing is to be performed.Therefore, it is possible to effectively use the paper while satisfyingthe user's request.

In addition, specifically, if the same paper feeding port 221 as theunprinted fed paper is set in the subsequent job, it is determined thatprinting of the subsequent job is to be performed on the unprinted fedpaper, and the paper can be effectively used while reliably satisfyingthe user's request.

In addition, in a case where “paper feeding port automatic operation” isset for the subsequent job, if conditions other than “paper feedingport” are satisfied, It is determined to print a subsequent job on anunprinted fed paper, further effective use of paper can be attempted,and user's convenience is improved.

If the condition of “paper size” and “paper discharging direction” issatisfied as a condition other than “paper feeding port”, it isdetermined that the subsequent job is printed on the unprinted fedpaper, and the user request can be satisfied.

In addition, if the “paper size” of the subsequent job is set to“unspecified”, the image data (printing range) of the subsequent job isenlarged or reduced to correspond to the unprinted fed paper, and thusit is determined that the condition is satisfied. Therefore,opportunities to utilize unprinted fed paper can increase.

In addition, in a case where “paper size” of the subsequent job isspecified and the paper size does not coincide with the unprinted fedpaper, the unprinted fed paper is discharged. Accordingly, it ispossible to prevent printing which does not desire by a user.

In addition, in a case where a subsequent job is a printing job thatprints the data received by the facsimile machine, by performing theenlargement or reduction processing described above, it is possible touse unprinted fed paper that does not hinder the user.

In addition, if the “paper discharging direction” of the subsequent jobis set to “Unspecified”, the image data of the subsequent job is rotatedso as to correspond to the unprinted fed paper, and it is determinedthat the condition is satisfied. Therefore, opportunities to utilizeunprinted paper can increase.

In addition, in a case where the number of unprinted fed paper is equalto or greater than the number of subsequent jobs, opportunities toutilize unprinted paper can increase by printing subsequent jobs onunprinted fed paper.

Further, in a case where the number of unprinted fed papers is equal toor greater than the number of subsequent jobs, if the job type of thesubsequent job is a printing job for printing the status sheet, it ispossible to utilize the unprinted fed paper without reducing the user'sconvenience, by printing the subsequent job on the unprinted fed paper.

Further, in addition, in a case where the number of unprinted fed papersis equal to or greater than the number of subsequent jobs, the job typeof the subsequent job is a printing job that prints data received by thefacsimile machine, and in a case where the facsimile alternative outputfunction is activated, it is possible to utilize the unprinted fed paperwithout reducing the user's convenience, by printing the subsequent jobon the unprinted fed paper.

In addition, In a case where the printer 2 is a device that only feedspaper of the same size and in the same paper discharging direction, whenjob cancellation is performed, it is determined whether or not to printa subsequent job on an unprinted fed paper based on the paper qualityset for the subsequent job and the paper quality of the unprinted fedpaper. Accordingly, it is possible to utilize unprinted fed paper moreeffectively without impairing user's needs.

In particular, in a case where the paper quality that is set for thesubsequent job coincides with the quality of the unprinted fed paper,the subsequent job can be printed on the unprinted fed paper, so that itis possible to use unprinted fed paper that does not hinder the user.

In addition, in a case where the paper size set for the subsequent jobcoincides with the paper size of the unprinted fed paper, if the “paperquality” of the subsequent job is set to “paper quality automaticoperation”, it is determined that the subsequent job is printed on theunprinted fed paper. Accordingly, it is possible to utilize unprintedfed paper more effectively without impairing user's needs.

In addition, in a case where the paper size set for the subsequent jobcoincides with the paper size for the unprinted fed paper, if “paperquality” of the subsequent job is set to “plain paper type automaticoperation”, and if the paper quality of the unprinted fed paper is aplain paper type, it is determined that the subsequent job is printed onthe unprinted fed paper. Accordingly, it is possible to utilizeunprinted fed paper more effectively without impairing user's needs.

Further, in addition, in a case where the paper size set for thesubsequent job and the paper size of the unprinted fed paper coincidewith each other and the paper quality set for the subsequent job isdifferent from the paper quality for the unprinted fed paper, if bothpaper quality are plain paper type, it can be determined that thesubsequent job is printed on the unprinted fed paper. Accordingly, it ispossible to effectively utilize unprinted fed paper.

Further, in addition, in a case where the paper size set for thesubsequent job and the paper size of the unprinted fed paper coincidewith each other and the paper quality set for the subsequent job isdifferent from the paper quality for the unprinted fed paper, if bothpaper quality are plain paper type or recycled paper, it can bedetermined to print a subsequent job on unprinted fed paper.Accordingly, it is possible to effectively utilize unprinted fed paper.

In addition, in a case where the next printing job is received beforethe printing job for the previous job is started, the setting content ofboth printing jobs are changed as appropriate based on the contents setfor both printing jobs. Accordingly, it is possible to quickly process aprinting using unprinted fed paper at the time of job cancellation.

Specifically, in a case where “paper quality” of any printing job is setto “paper quality automatic operation” and a specific paper quality isset to the other printing job, the former “paper quality” is changed tothe specific paper quality set for the latter. Accordingly, when thereis a job cancellation during printing the preceding printing job amongthe both, printing to the unprinted feed can be performed quickly.

In addition, in a case where the “paper quality” of any printing job isset to “plain paper type automatic operation” and the plain paper typepaper quality is set to the other printing job, the former “paperquality” is changed to paper quality set for the latter. Accordingly,when there is a job cancellation during printing the preceding printingjob among the both, printing to the unprinted fed paper can be performedquickly.

In this embodiment, an example in which the CPU (processor) executeseach process is described.

Here, in this specification, the CPU may be configured with one or moreCPUs, or may be configured with one or more integrated circuits (forexample, ASIC). In addition, the CPU may be configured by a combinationof one or a plurality of CPUs and one or a plurality of integratedcircuits.

The protection scope of the invention is not limited to the embodimentsdescribed above, but extends to the invention described in the claimsand equivalents thereof.

What is claimed is:
 1. A printing apparatus comprising: a printingmechanism which feeds paper from a paper feeding port and performsprinting on the fed paper; and a control unit which controls theprinting mechanism, wherein the control unit determines whether or notprinting a second job is to be performed on unprinted fed paper which isfed from the paper feeding port and is not yet printed, based on paperquality of the paper used in a first job and paper quality of the paperset in the second job following the first job when a cancellationinstruction is received during printing the first job and causes theprinting mechanism to perform the printing of the second job on theunprinted fed paper, in a case of determining that printing is to beperformed.
 2. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein thecontrol unit determines that the printing of the second job is to beperformed on the unprinted fed paper in a case where the paper qualityof the unprinted fed paper and paper quality set in the second jobcoincide with each other.
 3. The printing apparatus according to claim1, wherein the control unit determines that the printing of the secondjob is to be performed on the unprinted fed paper, in a case where paperquality and a paper size of the unprinted fed paper and the paperquality and a paper size set in the second job coincide with each other.4. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unitdetermines that the printing of the second job is to be performed on theunprinted fed paper in a case where a paper size of the unprinted fedpaper and a paper size set in the second job coincide with each otherand automatic paper quality selection to the effect that the paperquality is to be automatically selected is set in the second job.
 5. Theprinting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unitdetermines that the printing of the second job is to be performed on theunprinted fed paper in a case where a paper size of the unprinted fedpaper and a paper size set in the second job coincide with each otherand plain paper automatic selection to the effect that the paper qualityis to be automatically selected from paper quality of a plain paper typeis set for the second job, if paper quality of the unprinted fed paperis a plain paper type.
 6. The printing apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the control unit determines that the printing of the second jobis to be performed on the unprinted fed paper in a case where a papersize of the unprinted fed paper and a paper size set in the second jobcoincide with each other and paper quality of the unprinted fed paperand the paper quality set in the second job are different from eachother, if the paper quality of the unprinted fed paper is a plain papertype or recycled paper and the paper quality set in the second job is aplain paper type or recycled paper.
 7. A printing apparatus comprising:a printing mechanism which feeds paper from a paper feeding port andperforms printing on fed paper; and a control unit which controls theprinting mechanism, wherein the control unit determines whether or not asetting content of at least one of a first job and a second job is to bechanged, based on the setting content for the paper in the first job andthe second job, when receiving the second job following the first jobbefore printing the received first job is started and changes thesetting content of at least one of the first job and the second job, ina case of determining that the change is to be made.
 8. The printingapparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control unit changes asetting content corresponding to paper quality of the second job topredetermined paper quality set in the first job, in a case where thepredetermined paper quality is set as the setting content in the firstjob and paper quality automatic selection to the effect that paperquality of the paper is to be automatically selected as the settingcontent is set in the second job, and wherein the control unit causesthe printing mechanism to perform printing of the second job onunprinted fed paper which is fed from the paper feeding port and is notyet printed if conditions other than the paper quality are satisfied,when a cancellation instruction is received during printing the firstjob.
 9. The printing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the controlunit changes setting content corresponding to paper quality of thesecond job to paper quality set in the first job, in a case where anyone of paper quality of a plain paper type as the setting content is setin the first job and plain paper automatic selection to the effect thatthe paper quality of the paper as the setting content is to beautomatically selected from the paper quality of the plain paper type isset in the second job, and wherein the control unit causes the printingmechanism to perform printing of the second job on unprinted fed paperwhich is fed from the paper feeding port and is not yet printed ifconditions other than the paper quality are satisfied, when receiving acancellation instruction during printing the first job.
 10. A method forcontrolling a printing apparatus which feeds paper from a paper feedingport and performs printing on the fed paper, comprising: determiningwhether or not printing a second job print is to be performed onunprinted fed paper which is fed from the paper feeding port and ispaper not yet printed, based on paper quality of the paper used in thefirst job and paper quality of the paper set in the second job followingthe first job when a cancellation instruction is received duringprinting the first job; and performing the printing of the second job onthe unprinted fed paper in a case of determining that the printing is tobe performed.
 11. A method for controlling a printing apparatus whichfeeds paper from a paper feeding port and performs printing on the fedpaper, comprising: determining whether or not a setting content of atleast one of a first job and a second job is to be changed, based on thesetting content for the paper in the first job and the second job, whenreceiving the second job following the first job before printing thereceived first job is started; and changing the setting content of atleast one of the first job and the second job, in a case of determiningthat the change is to be made.